Chiswick Cheese Market, Sunday 17 September

Images above: Lincolnshire Poacher producers Simon & Tim

Guest blog by Lucy Cufflin

Here’s a lovely cheesy story for you ……

Remember the dark days of lock down? We had no idea how long it would be; we had no idea what the ‘other side’ of the pandemic would look like; and yet human nature strives to find a way through.

And so it was for Simon and Tim, makers of Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. Normally, they sold a percentage of their milk daily simply as milk but their wholesaler would not take it, the route to market for artisan cheese had stopped.

What to do? They created a cheese that could be matured for longer using an alpine style recipe hoping that after the pandemic it would be mature and ready to sell. Well, that day has come (woohoo) and we have acquired some of this special cheese for you to try at the next market.

Only made for the first three months of the pandemic, this is a one-off chance to try ‘Poacher 50’ – a cheese invented out of necessity and made with the hope of a brighter future – a cross between Comte, Parmesan and Cheddar – I can’t wait to try this!

Images above: Lincolnshire Poacher cheeses

We heard about it through our fabulous friends Kathy and Andy @thecourtyarddairy. You might remember that they won the Cheddar Affineur Competition this year which we sponsored and so were thrilled when they said they could let us have some of the Poacher 50 to try at the market – oh, how we love the world of artisan cheese!

So come along to HQ on Sunday and try this unique and utterly delicious cheese. Kathy and Andy can’t make it to the market but if you fall in love with it, you can buy it directly on-line from them.

thecourtyarddairy.co.uk

It’s September and that means its Mont d’Or season again – remind me, what does that mean? It’s the cheese world’s version of Beaujolais Nouveau day. Producers of the massive wheels of Comte make a very special cheese made with the fat rich, late season milk towards the end of the summer.

It’s not allowed to be made until 15 August and must be ripened for at least 21 days – therefore the first release date for Mont d’Or is 11 September. This season’s first Mont d’Or will be at the market brought to you by Roberto @thefrenchcomte. (it’s the one in a round wooden box just begging to be baked – all ooey and gooey)

Image above: Lucy from Berkshire Trout

Welcome to Lucy from @berkstrout who will be bringing a selection of her finest artisan hot and cold smoked trout to Cheesewick.

With heritage dating back to 1907 Lucy and Jon Handley took over the farm in 2020. The trout are grown on the extensive and low-stocked farm fed by the clear flowing waters of the River Dun, which enhances their delightful flavour. They started the food side of the business in 2021 creating a range of small batch, hot and cold smoked trout products – and by golly we are in for a treat here!

One of my favourite additions to smoked fish is whipped goat’s cheese – I simply blend up my favourite goat’s cheese (I am biased, but I would recommend Golden Cross sold by @bigwheelcheese at our market – my fave) with a little cream or milk to loosen it slightly – I use rind and all.

I add a little freshly ground black pepper and then simply enjoy it with the smoked fish and possibly a little sweet beetroot. If you don’t fancy any preparation then Lucy’s smoked trout would be a perfect addition to any sharing cheese, charcuterie, smoked fish platter- perfect for these end of summer days or a fab lunch on a colder autumn weekend if the heatwave ever breaks.

Image above: Sicilia Fredda

Sadly, no Alfonso from @collonaverdefarm this month, so let me introduce you to @siciliafredda who are bringing their wonderful handmade burrata bruschetta to Cheesewick, topped with their own handmade pesto, along with olive oil from their own farm in Sicily (which has just won a GOLD award at The London Olive Oil Competition awards – OMG!).

Later in the year they have promised us fresh Sicilian oranges to bring us sunshine in our darker months. (I have a wonderful marmalade recipe for Sicilian oranges which pairs beautifully with cheese so watch this space!)

Welcome back Bradgate Woodcraft – new stock, exciting boards – can’t wait!

And another welcome back to Medhi from Gastronomica – have you missed his truffle pecorino as much as I have? Come early to make sure it has not run out as I’m sure there will be a queue!

See all traders at September market  chiswickcheesemarket.uk

NEWS ALERT –

At our October 15^th Market we are joining forces with UK National cheese organisation – The Academy of Cheese who will be bringing the final day of their BIG CHEESE WEEKENDER live from our market – YES, REALLY!

This means there will be extra events, entertainment, people to meet, cheeses to taste and live happenings so SAVE THE DATE – this is a big deal in the cheesy calendar – Cheeselovers – you just need to be there!

Oh and I nearly forgot – you remember our competition a while back to name Mary Quicke’s new young Cheddar? – well she’s coming along and will announce the winner at THE BIG CHEESE WEEKENDER  – WOW!

See more details of the whole weekend bigcheeseweekender.com

We have two ticketed live events happening at the market, so don’t miss out and book early as places are limited –

Big Cheese Weekender | Peter’s Yard: Spin The Wheel – academyofcheese.org

Tastes of the Unexpected – Masterclass – bigcheeseweekender.com

Recipe of the month, Pearl barley and Courgette Risotto – thank you again Matt @ckbk for yet another fabulous cheese recipe from the CKBK library – it never ceases to amaze me of the breadth and depth of the cookbooks on this site!

app.ckbk.com

I’m still over in France till midweek, so am enjoying some local cheeses here, but my cheese box at home is completely empty so I will be bringing a large basket to the market this month and I’m very excited about all the fantastic cheeses I’m going to buy – See you there fellow cheese lovers!

Lucy Cufflin is one of the organisers of the Chiswick Cheese Market.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar